Interstate 75 North - Lee County

Interstate 75 travels a half mile north of the county line to Lee County Road 865 (Bonita Beach Road) and Exit 116. CR 865 consists of county and state maintained sections on its course from Bonita Springs to Tice. Photo taken 03/04/14.

The freeway reaches Exit 116 for CR 865. County Road 865 west (Bonita Beach Road) extends from Interstate 75 through the central business district of Bonita Springs before turning northward along Hickory Boulevard toward Fort Myers Beach. Bonita Beach Road spurs east 5.1 miles to end at the entrance to the Bonita National Golf & Country Club community. The road was extended eastward due to increased housing construction in the area during the early 2000s. Photo taken 03/04/14.

Interstate 75 continues north from Lee County Road 865 and Bonita Springs toward Fort Myers and beyond. Photo taken 11/25/12.

Passing under Terry Avenue, I-75 advances six miles north to Lee County Road 850 (Exit 123) in six miles to Estero. Tampa now lies 148 miles to the north. Photo taken 11/25/12.

I-75 north on the 1.25-mile approach to Corkscrew Road (former CR 850) and Exit 123. Corkscrew Road stems west connecting the freeway with U.S. 41 and the village of Estero. Photo taken 11/25/12.

The freeway kinks northwest one half mile out from Corkscrew Road (Exit 123). Corkscrew Road is the main east-west corridor through Estero. The entire area exploded with growth throughout the 2000s, becoming an essential hub for southern Lee County. Estero became an incorporated area by December 2014. Photo taken 03/04/14.

I-75 north reaches the diamond interchange with Corkscrew Road (Exit 123). Corkscrew Road (former CR 850) east leads to Corkscrew Swamp, located in east Lee County. Nearby retail centers, Germain Arena, home of the Florida Everblades ECHL hockey team, and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) can also be reached via Corkscrew Road east. Koreshan State Park lies at the west end of Corkscrew Road beyond U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail). Photo taken 11/25/12.

A reassurance marker stands along I-75 north beyond the access ramp from Exit 123 as the freeway passes to the west of Germain Arena. Photo taken 04/05/15.

I-75 north passes between Miromar Lakes Golf Club gated subdivision and Three Oaks Park on the one half mile approach to Alico Road. Alico Road runs west to its end at U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) north of San Carlos Park. East of I-75, Alico Road continues toward east Lee County eventually meeting Corkscrew Road. Photo taken 04/05/15.

An Arrow Per Lane (APL) directs motorists onto the collector distributor ramp for Alico Road (Exit 128) and RSW. The c/d roadway will reconvene with I-75 north of the upcoming trumpet interchange with the airport access road. Photo taken 04/05/15.

A separate ramp leaves for Exit 128 to Alico Road as the collector distributor roadway continues onward. Several commercial facilities, including Gulf Coast Town Center, line Alico Road immediately east of I-75. Otherwise the c/d roadway beelines for the airport access road and a return to the freeway. Photo taken 04/05/15.

A c/d roadway lines either side of the I-75 roadways shuttling traffic between Alico Road, Terminal Access Road and the freeway. Photo taken 04/05/15.

Terminal Access Road provides a direct connection to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) from I-75 without having to use local roads. The airport access road opened to traffic March 2015 at a $54 million price tag1. Construction commenced April 2016 to expand the four-lane facility to six overall lanes between Treeline Avenue and Air Cargo Lane.2 Photo taken 04/05/15.

The c/d roadway for Southwest Florida International Airport rejoins the I-75 northbound mainline on the two mile approach to Exit 131 with Daniels Parkway. An off freeway rest area lies in the northeast quadrant of the approaching exchange. Photo taken 04/29/16.

Continuing north from the c/d roadway at Exit 128, I-75 advances to the first of three access points into Cape Coral. Photo taken 04/05/15.

This mileage sign was added along the mainline by 2015 as part of the overall "Direct Connect" project linking I-75 with RSW. Fort Myers lies 11 miles ahead with Sarasota debuting at 90 miles out. Tampa is still over a two hour drive from this point. Photo taken 04/05/15.

This confirming marker for I-75 north stands along the shoulder at the ingress point from the Alico Road (Exit 128) / Terminal Access Road c/d roadway. Photo taken 04/05/15.

I-75 north gains an auxiliary lane to the parclo interchange (Exit 131) with Daniels Parkway. County Road 876 is sporadically signed along its 10.6-mile course across Lee County. The county road indirectly links Cape Coral with I-75 and Lehigh Acres. Photo taken 04/05/15.

The city of Cape Coral is located west of Fort Myers and the Caloosahatchee River, ten miles from Exit 131. Photo taken 04/29/16.

A reassurance shield for Interstate 75 north of Lee County Road 876 (Exit 131). Photo taken 11/22/12.

Florida 884, the first of four interchanges serving Fort Myers, crosses Interstate 75 in four miles while North Fort Myers (18 miles) is accessed via Florida 78 beyond the Caloosahatchee River. Photo taken 11/22/12.

1.25 miles ahead of Florida 884 (Colonial Boulevard) and Exit 136. Florida 884 leads west to U.S. 41 (Cleveland Avenue) in Fort Myers, continuing as Lee County Road 884 to enter Cape Coral via the tolled Midpoint Memorial Bridge. CR 884 also extends east from the freeway to enter Lehigh Acres. The county road eventually turns north via Joel Boulevard to end at Florida 80 near Alva. Photo taken 11/22/12.

Florida 884 (and subsequently Lee County Road 884) comprises a vital east-west intra-county corridor linking the west and east portions of Lee County. Photo taken 03/04/14.

Interstate 75 north reaches Exit 116 for Florida 884 (Colonial Boulevard) west to nearby Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium and east to Lehigh Acres. Construction anticipated for 2019 converts the parclo interchange here into a 12-lane wide DDI.3 Photo taken 03/04/14.

Exit 136 partitions with two lanes for each direction of Colonial Boulevard (SR 884). Associated work along SR 884 during the interchange redesign project at I-75 will rebuild the intersection of Colonial Boulevard at parallel Ortiz Avenue (CR 865) into a continuous flow intersection (CFI).3 Photo taken 03/04/14.

Florida 884 continues east from I-75 another 0.5 miles to Cypress Slough where Lee County Road 884 takes over to Lehigh Acres. Photo taken 03/04/14.

Next for Interstate 75 north is Luckett Road (CR 810) and Exit 139. Luckett Road west links the freeway with nearby CR 865 (Ortiz Avenue) in the vicinity of Tice. Like many other county-maintained roads in Lee County, Luckett Road is only acknowledged along I-75. Photo taken 11/22/12.

Northbound depart I-75 for Luckett Road. Lying 0.8 miles west of the diamond interchange at Exit 139, Ortiz Avenue parallels I-75 north to SR 80. Photo taken 11/22/12.

SR 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) crosses paths with Interstate 75 north in 1.25 miles. State Road 80 stretches across the peninsula 123.5 miles from Downtown Fort Myers to SR A1A at Palm Beach. Photo taken 04/15/16.

I-75 north gains an auxiliary lane from the Luckett Road entrance ramp to Exit 141 with SR 80. Photo taken 04/15/16.

On its trek across the state, the canvas for Florida 80 changes from suburbia to orange groves, sugar cane fields and suburbia again. Palm Beach Boulevard is so named as the eastern terminus of the state road lies within the city of Palm Beach by the Atlantic Ocean. Photo taken 04/15/16.

I-75 north reaches State Road 80 (Palm Beach Boulevard) and Exit 141. La Belle lies 22 miles to the east in neighboring Hendry County. Otherwise, Palm Beach Boulevard leads SR 80 west toward the central business district of Fort Myers. Photo taken 04/15/16.

The Caloosahatchee River provides an important link between the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Okeechobee. Flowing nearly 67 miles from its man-made connection with Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River meanders westward through Glades, Hendry, and eastern Lee Counties before widening to nearly one-mile in width as it separates Fort Myers and Cape Coral. The river empties into Punta Rassa just north of Sanibel Island. Photo taken 04/15/16.

Two high rise spans carry motorists across the Caloosahatchee River on Interstate 75. The freeway bridges are the highest in Lee County, at nearly 55 feet vertical clearance. Photo taken 04/15/16.

Another auxiliary lane joins Interstate 75 between State Road 80 (Exit 141) and the upcoming State Road 78 (Bayshore Road) interchange. Bayshore Road carries SR 78 westward from I-75 to North Fort Myers and U.S. 41 Business (Tamiami Trail). Pine Island Road continues the state road west and southwest toward Cape Coral. Photo taken 04/15/16.

I-75 traverses Caloosahatchee Creek Preserve en route to State Road 78 (Bayshore Road). The preserve is broken into a western and eastern component, each accessible via Bayshore Road. Photo taken 04/15/16.

Entering the diamond interchange with Florida 78 at Exit 143. The state road continues east an additional 3.2 miles, ending at Florida 31 near the Lee County Civic Center. Photo taken 04/15/16.

Interstate 75 angle northwest along a rural stretch extending into Charlotte County line. $17.3 million in construction from August 2012 to October 2014 expanded I-75 to six lanes between SR 78 and the county line .4 Photo taken 04/05/15.

The ensuing exit lies 13 miles ahead with Charlotte County Road 762 (Tuckers Grade). North Port follows in 38 miles within south Sarasota County and Tampa now a 121 mile drive. Photo taken 04/05/15.

Continuing northwest on I-75 through north Lee County, drivers pass this mileage sign showing distances to major freeway-to-freeway exchanges along the corridor. I-75 will meet I-275 in 84 miles in northern Manatee County while the freeway crosses I-4 to Tampa and Orlando in 117 miles. Photo taken 04/05/15.

I-75 north enters Charlotte County 5.8 miles north of SR 78 (Exit 143). Subsequent widening of Interstate 75 from 2015 to 2017 continued the six-lane section northward 11 miles to North Jones Loop Road.5 Photo taken 04/05/15.